Glorifying Who??

We know we are called to give and be generous, but here is a warning from Jesus himself against giving with the intention of glorifying yourself. As usual, He is interested in our hearts, our motivation. Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. We are not to make a show of being generous. We are not giving in order to earn our way into heaven. We are not trying to earn our salvation. That is a gift freely given. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭ESV‬‬. But – we are to give. Because, if we are truly walking in Christ, how can we not? We must simply remember that as we are not giving to earn salvation, we are also not giving to earn that pat on the back from men either. We don’t give in order to show our neighbors how great we are. We give because we simply love God and we love our neighbors. It’s all about motivation. You can give without loving, but you can not love without giving.

““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”